How To Strengthen Your Immune System
While this time of the year usually has a decrease in viral illnesses, this year we have seen an unusually long and ferocious flu seasons. In addition to the viral bacteria, our immune systems usually get weakened at the end of the winter due to working hard all season long. Knowing this, it’s a great time to give your immune system some extra support! Today I am sharing a few tips on how to do so:
1. Lifestyle: This is one of the most important ways – adequate sleep, timely and healthy nutrition (eating plenty of vegetables, fruits rich in antioxidants – such as berries, avoiding processed foods, sugary snacks and drinks, avoiding too much caffeine or other stimulating drinks).
2.Get in good probiotics from both fermented foods like sauerkraut, unsweetened yogurt, kombucha tea, etc. and concentrated probiotics in the form of capsules or powder. When selecting a good capsule probiotic, you want to make sure that it has at least 8 strains of good bacteria or more. The concentration or potency should be at least 25 billion CFU. It is best if kept refrigerated.
3. Add more ginger and lemon to your diet. Here’s a little recipe for you: use equal parts ginger and lemon (use a whole lemon – best organic, or well washed), both finely grounded, with some raw local honey. Mix in a glass jar and keep refrigerated. Use a quarter to half a spoon of mixture, 3-4 times per day. If you like bold tastes, you can eat it by itself, or mix it into some water (just don’t use hot water, as it kills the good properties of honey).
4. Add raw garlic into as many dishes as you can. The easiest way to add it is to use it as an ingredient in your homemade salad dressing!
5. Elderberry syrup is an excellent way to support your immune system. There are a few brands that make it – I personally prefer the brand ‘Gaia Herbs’ for its purity and potency. You would need to use 1 teaspoon of this a day for prevention, however if you’re feeling flu symptoms, increase this up to 4 times per day.
6. The use of essential oils might also be very helpful in protecting you from catching or spreading viruses. You can use them in a diffuser (sold in our clinic), an essential oil necklace or bracelet, or directly on your skin – specifically under your nose or hands. Be careful not to use full concentrate essential oils on your skin, because due to its high potency it may cause significant irritation to your skin. You can dilute it in a carrier oil, such as fractionated coconut oil, grapeseed oil, or almond oil, or use in a premade roll-on form. My top oil selections are: OnGuard by DoTerra and Thieves by Young Living.
I hope these tips help you stay health and feeling good as you go through these last few weeks of winter!
